


My Scars Burn Bright Against the Dark Dark Night

by A-Mind-Full-of-Music (kaylasong11), thefourthnorn



Category: Norse Religion & Lore, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity Gems, Nightmares, Psychological Torture, Science Fiction, Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-20
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-06-03 11:39:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6609307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaylasong11/pseuds/A-Mind-Full-of-Music, https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefourthnorn/pseuds/thefourthnorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Katia had scars. She'd had them for a very long time. But sometimes scars are the very key to what makes you special. Little did she know that these scars would show her a world she'd only dreamt of; full of monsters, magic, heroes, and villains. But if there is one thing she can remember, it's that EVERYONE deserves a second chance. It's never too late. /-/ Doctor Strange included</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Field Trip

Chapter One: Field Trip

Loki was rudely awoken to his breath being knocked out of him by a sudden weight. Thor had bellyflopped onto him.  
“C’mon Loki, get up already!” Thor shouted jovially as he shook Loki’s shoulders.  
“I would if you would get off of me!” Loki grunted irritatedly. He was struggling to breath, and so far, it wasn’t working.  
Thor didn’t seem to notice Loki’s labored panting and just continued to sit on top of Loki’s chest, bouncing like a small child - though he was anything but.  
“Thor -” Loki wheezed, “can’t - *pant*pant* -breathe! -”  
Thor finally seemed to notice his brother’s distress and hopped off the bed. Loki sat up, taking in big gulps of air.  
“Why, in all the Nine, do you insist on doing that every single time?” Loki asked irritatedly. Thor just shrugged.  
“What do you want me for, anyway?” Loki growled, still not coming out of his foul mood.  
“We’re going hunting on Vanaheim!” Thor exclaimed jubilantly.  
Loke glared at him in disbelief. “You… woke me up… at this unholy hour… for a HUNTING TRIP…”  
Thor looked slightly confused. “Yes, brother. I just said that. You, me, the Warriors Three, and Sif are going hunting on Vanaheim.”  
Loki lowered his face into his hands. “Thooooorrrr,” he groaned, “When are you going to get it into your thick skull that I do not want to come on your little trips.”  
“Oh, come brother!” Thor joked as he punched Loki’s arm, “You can’t spend all your time in the library!”  
Loki rubbed his arm and glowered at Thor. “I don’t!” He snapped.  
“You’re right, you come down to meals… sometimes.” Thor said, slightly sarcastically. “Come, you need to be around people, not just dusty old tomes.”   
Loki stood and walked to his balcony.  
“At least my books don’t act like idiots and make foolish mistakes every five seconds, making it my responsibility to make sure you don’t kill yourself, start a war, or both.” Loki said as Thor approached him.  
“Oh, come on! I’m not that reckless.”  
Loki stared deadpan at him.  
“What?” Thor asked. He then continued, “You need to come with us!”  
Loki opened his mouth to object again but Thor cut him off. “Plus, Mother said you had to come.”   
Loki glared out across the waking city. He stayed like that for a moment before he shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m going to regret this…”  
Thor’s face lit up. “Thank you, brother! You shall not be disappointed!”  
He gave Loki a brief bone-crushing hug then rushed out the door.  
Loki shook his head again and walked in to get changed.  
“Why do I even put up with this…?” He mumbled.

 

Almost everything was packed and ready by the time Loki came out to meet the group. Thor, Volstagg, and Hogun were already astride their horses- a Palomino Clydesdale with white feathered socks; a huge, slightly chubby, red and grey roan Belgian; and a pitch black Arabian; respectively- while Sif was gathering some last minute supplies and Fandral was feeding his Andalusian Buckskin stallion an apple or two. A stable-hand gave Loki the reigns of his dark Dappled Grey Arabian and Loki mounted it gracefully.  
Sif packed the last of the supplies onto her large white Friesian. She glanced at Loki.  
“Finally decided to show up, eh?” She said with a sour smirk.  
Loki looked down on her cooly. “I wouldn’t be here unless you truly needed me,” He smirked, “And Thor made that plenty clear when he was begging me to join you.”  
She huffed and turned to Thor, “We have Hogun. He’s a perfectly fine tracker.”  
Thor frowned, slightly confused.  
“Besides,” Loki drawled, “If it weren’t for me, you’d probably come back with only a few rodents, due to Thor’s tendency to walk in circles.”  
Sif frowned.  
“Ah, give him a little slack, Loki, my friend,” Fandral said lightly, “We all know that it would probably be Volstagg’s fault. His stomach would grumble loud enough to frighten everything away.”  
Volstagg chuckled.  
“Well, then good thing we brought extra venison!” Thor said happily, “Now come! Let us not waste another moment!”  
Loki grumbled slightly as Hogun and Sif passed him on his horse, before he started forward to follow the group.  
The band of warriors galloped out of the courtyard, through the streets, and onto the rainbow bridge, chatting and teasing the whole way. Volstagg had already eaten half a large bag of dried berries by the time they reached the Bifrost dome. And Sif had whacked both Fandral and Thor over the head, at least twice, for some comments they had made about her.  
“Good morning Your Majesties, Sif, and Warriors Three.” Heimdall nodded to each as he spoke, “Tis a fine day for a good hunt.”  
“Tis indeed!” Thor boomed joyfully.  
“I trust your Father knows of your venture?” Heimdall said as he walked over to the pedestal in the center of the Bifrost dome.  
Loki turned to Thor expectantly. He hadn’t thought of that. Surely Thor had asked permission.  
“Not necessarily…” Thor grinned.  
Loki groaned and facepalmed, followed by similar, more subtle, actions from the other warriors.  
“I did, however, tell Queen Frigga that we were going.” Thor interjected into the groans of the warriors.  
Volstagg exhaled and wiped his forehead. “Pfew! For a moment there, I thought we were treasonous!”  
Fandral grinned and Hogun nodded slightly.  
Heimdall watched the exchange silently, then spoke up. “Well, then let us not waste another moment.”  
He stepped forward and placed his mighty sword into its slot. The dome lit up and began to spin. Thor trotted forward on his horse, followed by the warriors. One by one, they were sucked into the whirlpool of colorful lights. Loki, being the last, paused for a moment and looked back at Heimdall. He studied the familiar face for a moment then smiled. Heimdall nodded his head. Loki rode forward through the portal.

 

Loki wanted to bang his head against a rock. They had been following a bilgesnipe’s trail for several hours with nothing to show for it. And Thor would not stop whining.  
“Looooookkiiii, Please tell me we’re getting close.” Thor said impatiently for the seventh time that day.  
Loki looked up from the tracks he was examining and answered disdainfully. “We’re getting close.” He deadpanned.  
“Really?!” Thor said hopefully.  
“No, you dunghead!” Loki rolled his eyes, exasperated, “ No. Like every other time you’ve asked me in the past five minutes.”  
Thor huffed angrily.  
“Could you at least give us a time frame?” Fandral said hopefully.  
Loki hummed slightly. “I don’t think… hmmm… if we’re lucky, it’s a day’s journey ahead of us.”  
The group frowned.  
“Are you sure you don’t want to try something a bit easier?” Loki asked the Warriors and Thor.  
They all suddenly looked offended.  
“No!” Thor said adamantly, “This bilgesnipe is our prize, and I shall not forsake it!”  
Loki sighed. “Very well, then. Keep going north,” He directed, “Make sure you don’t cross the river yet.”  
The group bolted forward on their steeds, galloping in said direction and running right along the river.  
Loki surveyed the forest around them. The sunlight gleamed through the pale leaves, making odd mottled shapes on the forest floor. The river tumbled playfully over logs and boulders to their right. The scent of rain still lingered in the air from a light fall earlier. Over all, it was a beautiful day.  
Loki galloped behind the others, allowing himself a small smile at the breeze in his hair. This expedition might almost be enjoyable if everyone would just shut up.  
Volstagg looked over his shoulder to the younger god. “How far should we go?” he asked.  
Loki slowed a bit and glanced at the tracks on the ground and the breakage in the underbrush. He paused, calculating.  
“I would say... “ He looked up again, “Probably a mile and a half, then we’ll see if we need to cross the river or not. It seems to be going on a fairly straight cou -”  
“Alright!” Fandral cut in. “A mile it is.” He smiled dashingly at Sif- who rolled her eyes- then trotted forward. The rest of the group shrugged and followed him.  
Loki glared daggers at the back of Fandral’s head as the band moved on.  
Thor punched his brother on the shoulder. “Ah. You know Fandral, he loves to jest.” Thor joked.  
Loki rubbed his arm and glared at Thor too.  
“Oh, come on. Lighten up, Loki! You love a good joke.” Thor chuckled  
“Only when it’s not on me…” Loki mumbled as they caught up to the other warriors.

 

The sun was beginning to set by the time they finally decided to set up camp. Thor had wanted to continue, but after thousands of reasons from Loki and one reason from Sif, he gave in.  
They had erected their tents and Loki had started a fire, so they were just waiting for Sif to return with more firewood.   
The Warriors Three sat on logs close to the fire, roasting some tiny deer-like mammals they had felled earlier that day. Thor sat on the ground munching on the last of the dried venison they had packed. Loki was reading.  
It was a thrilling tale about a group of misfits that were travelling through space, as outlaws, while trying to find a powerful artifact and destroy it before someone evil got their hands on it. Loki thought it was quite entertaining and not at all impossible.  
Loki was in the middle of a very good chapter when Fandral stopped his conversation with Volstagg and Hogun to look at Loki’s book choice.  
He snorted. “Still reading that rubbish?  
Loki looked up and glared at the irritating blonde.  
“Fandral continued, “Space sagas were soooo 500 years ago.” He playfully hit Volstagg and the redhead chuckled. Hogun smiled.  
Loki continued glaring at Fandral. “Says the man who’s never picked up a book in his life unless it was a required textbook… and I doubt you touched those either. That’s probably why you completely flunked the Æsir history test. And the science test. And the -”  
“Yeah, yeah. We get the point Loki.” Fandral said. “You like being smarter than us. Well, who needs smarts when you can just stab whatever’s causing the problem?”  
Loki lowered his face into his hand and massaged his forehead. Why? Why were they so stupid? “No, Fandral. That wouldn’t work in almost any situation…” Loki mumbled.  
Fandral kept talking. “At least I didn’t fail the physical portion.”  
Loki stiffened slightly but spoke back cooly. “My friend, I think you’re losing your touch. You’ve used that one before.”  
Fandral smirked. “Isn’t that right, Thor?”  
Thor looked up from his jerky, his mouth full and confusion on his face. “Whuth?”  
Loki snapped his book shut and stood. “If you need me, I’ll be in the tent.” Loki then walked away briskly.  
Thor swallowed. “I’m confused…” he said slowly.  
“Loki just being dramatic.” Volstagg chuckled.  
“He tends to do that a lot.” Hogun said quietly.  
Thor nodded. “Indeed.”  
Sif walked up to the group with a bundle of sticks in her arms. “What did I miss?” she said.  
The men looked at each other briefly before bursting out into laughter.  
Sif stared at them then shook her head. “Boys are weird.”

 

Loki lay on his bedding, staring at the ceiling of the tent and listening to the others’ conversation. As usual, it was about him.  
“I just don’t get it, though” Fandral’s voice wafted through the buckskin.  
You wouldn’t. You blubbering idiot. Loki thought.  
“Get what?” Sif asked.  
Fandral continued. “After all these decades, you’d have thought he would pick up the clues.”  
Loki listened carefully.  
Thor spoke, “What clues? If there were clues, Loki would find them. He’s smart like that.”  
Loki smiled softly.  
“That’s just the thing though,” Fandral said, “You would have thought that he would figure out that he’s not the same as us.”  
Obviously… I’m the only sensible one in the entire court. Loki thought.  
“Loki’s different. Like not in the way that most of us are different… he’s just…. weird.”  
“He is younger than us” Hogun said.  
“Yes, but none of us were like that.” Volstagg said.  
“I mean, he spends most of his time reading those ridiculous books, a good portion of which are fiction. Who does that?” Fandral pointed out.  
Loki glanced at the book he’d brought along and frowned.  
“Loki loves knowledge.” Thor said.  
“Yes but who reads for fun?” Fandral said.  
“Apparently, Loki.” Sif interjected.  
“And he’s the only one.” Fandral said, trying to prove his point. “And I guess I get why he does the whole magic thing. He can hardly hold out a practice duel with a broadsword. Don’t even mention a battle axe.”  
Loki glared at the ceiling.  
Thor spoke and Loki’s spirits lifted a bit for a moment, hoping his brother would stick up for him.  
“Loki… struggles… with the strength factors, yes.” Thor said slowly. Loki’s spirits fell. He let out a long breath through his nose.  
“But he makes up for it in speed.” Thor said quietly.  
Volstagg chuckled. “Yes. And speed is going to help a ton with a giant army of Frost Giants.”  
Yes. It would. Loki thought venomously.  
He heard them shifting.  
“We need every asset.” Thor said. “Even if it is the strange and sometimes… questionable ones.”  
Loki rolled onto his side, away from the door of the tent and glared at the wall.  
There was a long silence occasionally broken by the the crackling of the fire. Then a voice spoke up. It was Sif.  
“Well. I’m going to turn in for the night. If you want full strength for tomorrow, you should too.”  
There was a lot of rustling as the warriors stood and headed to their respective tents. Sif to her own, the Warriors Three to another, and Thor to the one Loki was currently in.  
Loki closed his eyes and took even breaths as Thor entered. The elder prince saw his younger brother fast asleep and smiled. He prepared for bed and lay down, falling asleep almost instantly. Loki opened his eyes. Thor is ridiculously easy to fool. He lay there… waiting.


	2. New World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki goes exploring

Chapter Two: New World

 

Loki lay awake, staring at the side of the tent. Thor was snoring loudly by his side. When Loki was confident that everyone in the camp was asleep, he quietly stood and exited the tent, pausing only when Thor stirred a little. Loki smoothed out his travel clothes that he hadn’t changed out of. They were a little rumpled from being under his furs. Silently he made his way over to the horses.

“Time to see if this old spell works through the paths…” Loki muttered to himself as he took the reigns of his horse. He had done his concealment spell many times now, but hadn’t tried holding it while going through Yggdrasil, yet. He needed to test it when it wouldn’t matter if Heimdall knew where he was, but would still alert someone that he had gone.

After whispering some runes to himself, Loki mounted his stallion and turned to leave. He glanced at Thor’s tent for a moment. Hogun is fairly good at tracking. I’m sure they’ll be fine without me for a few days. He thought. Then he turned once more and galloped off into the night.

 

*************

 

After riding for several miles, Loki finally came to the place he was looking for. There were many portals between the realms, and only Loki knew where all of them were. He prided himself immensely in the fact that he didn’t need the Bifrost, ever. It was just… convenient.

The portals in Vanaheim were usually behind waterfalls or between certain trees. This one happened to be behind a small waterfall.

The crevice behind the fall was too small for a horse, so Loki dismounted. He let go of the reigns and whispered something into his steed’s ear. The playful Arabian whinnied and tossed his head not unlike a nod. Loki nodded back and patted his horse’s neck. It turned and trotted back to the camp and could slip it’s reigns back onto the branch they were tied to earlier, a trick Loki had taught it long ago. It was smart like that.

Loki turned to the waterfall. He jogged forward and took a running leap onto a rock in the water. No need to get his boots wet. He lept to a couple more stepping stones before landing on the patch ground behind the waterfall.

The young Asgardian sidled forward and slipped in between the sharp rock faces that lined the small tunnel. He smirked to himself. None of the others could fit through here. If was a perk of being lean. He could just picture Thor getting stuck and Volstagg not even being able to attempt.

The passageway widened and there was a small cave, the back wall of which shimmered with energy. The Portal.

Loki smiled, checked to make sure his enchantment was in place, and stepped forward off of Vanaheim…

**************

… And onto Midgard.

At first, Loki thought he had gone through the wrong portal: It looked more like one of the dingier factories on Nidavellir. But then he looked around at the rubbish bins that lined the alleyway and noticed the labels. English. So he was on Midgard.

He walked slowly and warily forward to the front of the alley. The sight that greeted him was extremely unexpected. Bright flashing lights and tall buildings were everywhere. Humans thronged through the streets despite the late hour. Strange vehicles sped past on black roads. Loki was very confused. The last time he’d been to Midgard was when England was sending pilgrims over to the “New World”.

Loki did a double-take. Was that woman wearing pants? Were all the women wearing pants? Fashion has certainly changed. Loki thought, glancing at his clothes. Focus. The whole reason you’re here is to practice blending in. He surveyed the city in front of him. Well, I’m due for a history lesson…

**************

Loki watched the people passing by. He specifically watched those who seemed to be about the equivalent of his age. Loki finally detected a pattern in many of the young men's’ clothing and created an outfit for himself; An olive green v-neck t-shirt, dark jeans, and green converse. He didn’t see very many people in leather, but he wanted to keep his own touch, so he added a black leather jacket.

He crept to the front of the alley, looked both ways, then casually strolled out. He blended easily with the crowds. He let the flow of foot-traffic take him deeper into the city, which he discovered was enormous for a Midgardian City… Or are they all this big? Loki thought for a moment. He shrugged it off. 

After wandering around for quite a while, Loki decided he needed to find somewhere where he could access a lot of information. He needed a library. Glancing around, Loki chose a random shop with its lights on, and entered. As soon as he opened the door, a wave of warm air rushed out, enveloping him in a strange scent. It was both bitter and sweet with a hint of other flavors. Cream, chocolate, pumpkin, caramel, and others he didn’t recognise. Loki entered slowly, cautiously.

There were tables, chairs, and a couple booths. At the back of the room there was a long counter with some barstools. A young lady, wearing an apron, sat behind the counter staring at a small rectangular thing. There was one other person in the shop; another young woman in a corner booth, typing on another strange piece of technology and sipping at a thick brownish beverage in a transparent cup.

The woman behind the counter looked up and smiled, her bright blonde hair bobbing a bit in her ponytail. “Welcome to J’s Coffee Shop.” She put down her rectangular thing and stood. Loki prowled casually forward, almost to the counter, then stopped. She continued, “We have a free sample of today’s special: Hazelnut Supreme, if you would like to try something before buying anything,” She gestured to a large chalkboard menu above and behind her.

Loki glanced at it, then spoke, “Is it alright if I have the sample but don’t buy anything?” The woman frowned. “I’m a little low on money at the moment.”

She brightened up at record speed. “Of course!” She chirped.

Loki walked all the way up to the counter and sat at one of the stools. The Blonde busied herself with preparing the strange beverage.

She set a full cup in front of the Asgardian. He gave her a questioning look. “This is your sample size?” Loki asked.

“No, it’s a small.”

“I don’t have any money…” Loki said.

“It’s on me.” She smiled, “You seem like a nice guy and yonder geek doesn’t talk much.” She gestured to the dark-haired woman in the corner. She was wearing an oversized sweater, leggings, ugg boots, a beanie, and glasses.

Loki raised an eyebrow.

The Blonde shook her head slowly, “Hipsters love coffee shops…”

Loki shrugged and took a sip of the drink. The taste exploded in his mouth. Sweet chocolate with the perfect blend of bitter nuttiness.

Loki hummed contentedly to himself. The Blonde chuckled, “I take it you like it?”

“This is amazing. It’s… like… drinking satisfaction and contentment… like drinking that joy you get on a rainy morning in a library, surrounded by thousands of books… but with chocolate.” Loki said happily.

“Aren’t you quite the poet.” Blonde giggled and blushed.

Loki smirked, “I’ve been told I have a Silver tongue…”

“Certainly. I like your accent, by the way.” She said, “Where are you from? London?”

The dark-haired man paused, “Westminster.” He nodded, “And you?”

“Born and raised a Yankee.” She spouted proudly.

He had no clue what that meant, so Loki just nodded.

The Asgardian took another sip of his delightful beverage and savoured the delicious flavour.

He had a thought. “Pardon me, but I never asked your name…”

She smiled and stuck out her hand, “Hello, my name is Kayda Jennings.”

He smiled and shook her hand, “Loki.”

Kayda tilted her head, “I’ve never met anyone with that name before…”

“Nor I with a Kayda.” Loki said.

“Touché.” Kayda shrugged.

There was a comfortable silence as Loki slurped his drink. The hipster stood and left with her laptop.

More silence.

Finally Loki spoke, “Do you normally get customers at this hour?...” 

Kayda looked at a clock on the wall. “At 11:30 pm? Not usually.”

Loki raised his hands in surrender, “I can leave if it’s too late…” 

“Nah.” Kayda shrugged. “I’m the owner of the shop so I can choose when to close. I was just waiting for Hipster to leave… But then you walked in.”

Loki smiled. “Well I don’t want to keep you up, so I’ll finish quickly.” he paused, then remembered something. “Lady Kayda, You wouldn’t happen to know where the library is, would you?”

“New York City Library? Lions and everything? It’s just a few blocks down, but it doesn’t open until 7:00.”

Loki nodded thoughtfully. Ah. So this is New York City. I remember New York… not this New York, but New York nonetheless. Oh yes… Yankee… Dutch... Talk of revolution… He continued sipping at his drink until it was finally gone.

Kayda noticed his empty cup and took it from him. She cleaned up her workspace for a couple of minutes before Loki spoke.

“Do you need any assistance, Lady Jennings?”

The Blonde looked up from the counter she was wiping down. “I - uhh… okay.” She seemed confused. Kayda then brightened up. “Actually, yeah! Sure. That would be great. I have another rag right there, you can wipe down any tables that look dirty.”

Loki grabbed said rag and started wiping down each table, working beside Kayda. They finished quickly and Kayda put the rags away. Loki watched as she gathered up her purse and slipped on her coat. He held open the door for her as they exited.

“Thank you.” Kayda said as she locked the shop door. She smiled, “You’re such a gentleman. Don’t see a lot of those these days…” 

Loki just smiled. He glanced around. Lady Jennings didn’t seem to have one of the transportation vehicles he saw constantly crowding the streets.

He frowned, then turned to the blonde woman. “Would you perhaps like me to walk you home? I see you don’t have transportation. And as you said, you don’t meet very many gentlemen these days.”

Kayda blinked then smiled, “That would be wonderful.”

And so they started walking. Loki listened politely as Kayda spoke about her family, her work, her schooling, and her friends. And he offered a comment here and there. Loki was learning much from the quirky little Midgardian about many things in Midgardian culture in these past few years.

Finally, they arrived at Kayda’s apartment building.

“Thank you so much, Loki.” She said sweetly, “I hope you come by every once and awhile.”

“Twas my pleasure, Lady Jennings.” Loki said.

Kayda giggled “You’re funny.”

Then she stood on her tippytoes, planted a small peck on Loki’s cheek, and entered the building, leaving Loki on the steps.

He blinked, then shook his head. Focus, you idiot! Get to the library.

Loki strolled off down the street in the direction Kayda had said the library was. He needed to do some studying.


	3. Strange Magic

Again. All the awards to whoever guesses what the date is before I mention it.

Chapter Three: Strange Magic

Loki groaned and straightened up. A book fell off of his lap and landed on the floor with a thump. The noise startled the Asgardian awake fully. He sat at a table surrounded entirely by books. Loki had snuck into the New York City Library and spent the entire night researching Midgardian Culture. Turns out there were many, but currently he was in the United States of America which had a Western Culture. First world country and all that…

Loki rubbed his face with his hands. How long have I been out? He thought. Glancing at a clock on the wall, he discovered it was almost time for the library to open: 6:50 am. Loki cursed himself for being so careless.

Hurriedly putting away his mountain of books into their correct places, Loki then snuck back out of the library and joined the early-birds on the streets.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

It started out as a lovely morning. Her mother was already at work at the World Trade Center. Her father was waiting for his shift at the firehouse. They were making waffles. It was about 7:00.

"Whoa! Whoa! Slow down on the jam, Funsize!" her dad exclaimed as the small ginger started cheerfully dumping the entire jar of deep red strawberry jam onto her waffle.

She looked up at him innocently and he laughed. Her soft giggle joined his deep chuckle.

They ate and laughed for a while. Soon they were cleaning up the breakfast mess.

"So, Funsize, which book did you steal from my bookshelf this time?" the man said joyfully. She looked up bashfully and mumbled something about not being caught. Her father laughed again.

"Don't think I wouldn't notice the empty slot. You have to think ahead. Use that big brain of yours."

She looked at him with confused gray eyes. "Are you saying I should steal?"

He chuckled. "Only from me; and only if it isn't important. Just remember, if you are going to try and steal from me, you've got to make sure I don't notice for at least a day or two. Otherwise, I will have to discipline you."

"Why are you teaching me this?" She asked.

"Stealth is an important skill." He smiled. "Besides, it might come in handy someday."

They talked about her interests while he got ready to go. He loved hearing her stories and dreams. They were always full of color. Bright reds, deep blues, royal purples, vibrant yellows, comforting greens. It was 8:00.

He dropped her off at the daycare on the way to the fire station. The toddler hugged him tightly and he promised to pick her up after his shift. She smiled cheerily and waved as he drove away. 8:15.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Loki strolled through the throngs of people, taking in the sights around him. Midgard had changed so much since he'd last been here. America was an independent country and had an entirely new type of government. And apparently a lot of other countries had copied it, to some degree.

Their technology was far from reaching Asgardian level, but they were progressing rapidly.

Suddenly Loki stopped in his tracks. A man bumped into him.

"Hey! Watch it!" the man said, quite annoyed.

"Sorry…" Loki mumbled, as he looked distractedly onward. The crowds flowed around him as he stood there.

He had sensed magic. Unfamiliar magic. Or at least energy that felt like magic.

He started walking briskly.

Loki followed the strange energy for several blocks. It was getting stronger as he neared it, like a big game of hot and cold.

He saw two very tall rectangular buildings a couple blocks away. The energy seemed to be coming from that area. He broke into a jog.

Suddenly he felt the energy decrease a bit. Loki backtracked. He saw a small building with large windows painted with childish drawings of brightly colored suns and flowers. Children played in and around the building in an enclosure. A Daycare? Loki thought.

He took a step towards it. The Asgardian felt a rush of tingling travel over his skin. Yes. This was definitely the place.

Loki walked to where he could see the entire Daycare and most of the inhabitants, but they couldn't see him. He reached out with his magic, his eyes glowing green, probing for the source of the energy. It was strong, and raw, … and dangerous.

He saw her almost immediately; a small child, maybe only 3-4 years old for a Midgardian. She seemed very different from the rest of the children. An outcast. The other young ones tended to ignore her. It was hard to imagine how, though. The toddler was filled to the brim with the new energy. It radiated off of her in waves, parting around everyone else harmlessly and seemingly undetected. The energy's harsh purple light burned against Loki's magic-enhanced eyes, causing him to begin developing a headache.

He released his spell, not being able to stand the overflow of magical energy. But now Loki was captivated. How is this Midgardian child holding this much magic and not burning up? Is it even magic? Can Midgardians even hold magic? Is she even Midgardian?

His thoughts were interrupted by a strange noise. What in the Nine Realms is that?

I know the chapter is a bit short, but more is coming. Plus, I will give an award (A very Spoilery PM) to whoever can guess what the phrase "Child of Yggdrasil" means. Be sure to review your answer.

PLEASE REVIEW


	4. Nine Eleven

The redhead looked up in surprise. What was that noise? It was different from the normal New York City noises. It was loud and harsh. She stood up from the table, where she was drawing a picture for her mother, and ran over to the daycare lady.  
“Heather? What’s that noise?”  
The brown haired woman looked over from helping a boy with his Play-doh. “What noise?”  
“The one that’s kind of hurting my ears… Don’t you hear it?”  
Heather was very confused. “Sorry hon. I don’t hear anything. Are you sure it isn’t the funny whining noise you get when it’s quiet?”  
The girl shook her head. “This one is deep. And it hurts. It’s getting louder too.”  
Heather frowned for a moment. Suddenly she froze. She did hear something. It was very quiet but was increasing in volume. She couldn’t quite figure out what it was. As the noise grew, other children looked up from their playthings. Heather stood and went to the ceiling height window. She couldn’t quite place it. Was it- No, it couldn’t be possible, no airlines went over Manhattan.  
The noise was now almost earsplitting. Heather paled. It sounded exactly like a plane. Suddenly there was a deafening crash. Heather watched, horrified as a plane crashed into one of the Twin towers. She let out a loud sob.  
“Everyone to the emergency exit.!” Heather called out to the children. The daycare was only a block away from the Trade Center. If that tower came down, their building would be buried in rubble.  
There was a mad dash as they all started to grab their projects and jackets.  
“No no no! Leave the projects. Just grab your coats and go!” Heather said frantically as she pushed a confused blond girl towards the exit and shooed everyone out the door. She led everyone to the bus and started it, looking up at the towers with terror every few seconds. Finally she put the bus into drive and sped out of the parking lot to the other joint daycare, a couple miles away. She did not look back for fear of what may lay behind.  
*******

 

Loki watched in shock as a Midgardian flying contraption, an airplane, crashed into one of the two towers he’d seen earlier.  
People everywhere were screaming and running. Smoke billowed into the sky, starting to cover the sun. Sirens wailed a few streets over. The young Asgardian stood frozen in his spot, not knowing whether to go help or to turn heel and run. Does this happen often? Was it an accident? Loki thought.  
Just then another airplane crashed into the other tower. Nope. Not an accident.  
Loki stared at the darkened sky. Ash fell down, collecting in his hair and eyelashes and on his clothing. Why in the Nine would would someone do that?  
Lok noticed all the children from the daycare getting into a bus, followed by a flustered, pale-faced woman who reminded him of a thin mouse.  
The bus drove off through the streets, getting as far away from the buildings and destruction as it could.  
Loki turned and started jogging after it, when he heard the terrible screeching sound of twisting and chafing metal. The dark haired man watched in horror and awe as one of the towers started collapsing.  
*********

 

Heather arrived with the children at the other daycare. She rushed everyone inside and then counted heads. She froze, dread taking hold of her.  
“Guys… Where’s Katia?”  
*********

 

Loki started to sprint away from the wave of destruction raining down. He was a block away when he stopped dead in his tracks. He still felt the magic. The child was still in the building.  
*********

 

Katia sat up. She had been curled on the ground, covering her ears with pain. The noise had been so loud. She looked around in confusion; everyone was gone. The puzzled ginger stood and surveyed the dark room. Everything was still out; books, toys, play-doh, crayons. The only indicator that anything had even happened was the missing jackets by the door. Stormy gray eyes swept over to the window with curiosity. There was a lot of dust and smoke building up in the area. A paper floated past the window. There was a moment of silence that pressed upon her surroundings.  
Then Katia heard it. A creaking- a groaning- of metal and glass shattering.  
She looked out the window in fear as the second tower started to crumble. Darkness crashed down upon the daycare before the rubble even got close.  
Katia screamed and ducked under a table. Smoke filled the building in a giant wave. She heard a noise like glass shattering among the tumult. Tears streamed down her face as Katia curled into a ball. Rubble rained down on her in a cascade of pain. She caught a glimpse of red. She never wore red.  
Katia cried. Dust filled her throat. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t see. She couldn’t think. She thought she heard a voice. Tender. Calling her name gently.  
Everything went black.  
*********

 

Loki reached the girl right before the roof collapsed. He cradled her in his arms as he ran out of the rubble. She was cut badly by the glass and her blood was slowly covering his chest and arms. He needed to get her to some proficient healers, fast.  
The young siedrmaster concentrated on finding where the other bus had gone. Then with a flash of light, he was gone.  
*********

 

Heather was crying and panicking as she explained it to the other daycare workers.  
“I was just so scared and worried. I wasn’t thinking straight.- hic- I thought everyone had followed me.- hic- I should have counted. I should have noticed someone was gone!-”  
Another worker, a thicker African American woman with dreadlocks in a neat ponytail, was hugging her as she cried; rubbing her back and mumbling soft words.  
“Shh. Shh… You made a mistake. Hopefully they’ll find her quickly.” the woman said softly.  
“But if I had just checked-” Heather wailed.  
“Shh. There’s nothing we can do. The police told us not to go back. They have everything under control. They’ll find her. We just have to wait for them to update us… okay?”  
Heather continued to cry. “Cecelia. I just-”  
Her crying was cut off as there was a frantic knocking at the door. One of the male workers, who was comforting a crying boy, quickly stood and went to open it. He let out a yell as a tall stranger burst in carrying a dark red bundle and calling for assistance.  
The women stared in horror as they realized that the bundle was a little girl. Katia.  
The daycare dissolved into a whirlwind of panicked adults and crying children. Cecelia led the stranger out the door and pulled him to her car.  
“The ambulances are busy enough as it is! We’ll take her to the hospital ourselves!”  
He nodded and carefully entered the back seat, the unconscious girl still in his arms. Heather jumped into the passenger seat. The car sped out of the parking lot and toward the hospital.  
She stared at the stranger. He was covered in dust and rubble, but she could tell his longish hair was very dark. He was wearing a dark t-shirt, black leather jacket, and jeans, all very filthy. The strange man held the girl tenderly, her head close to his pale face, mumbling into her ear. Something about him put Heather off. This whole thing has got you shaken up. That’s all. She thought to herself.  
They arrived at the hospital. The man jumped out of the car and ran into the ER with the toddler in his arms. Cecelia and Heather followed quickly behind, not even bothering to park the car.  
The next few moments were a blur as trained professionals took over. The girl was taken from the man’s arms and quickly wheeled away on a hospital trolley, leaving Heather, Cecelia, and the man standing awkwardly in the lobby.  
“Do you need any assistance, yourself?” a nurse asked the three of them.  
“No.” Cecelia and Heather said in unison. The man just shook his head. He seemed thoughtful and distant as he stared at the door the the girl had gone through. His shirt and jacket were covered in the girl’s blood.  
He seemed to snap out of his daze and he turned and walked out the door. Heather ran after him, leaving Cecelia to fill out paperwork, and caught his arm just outside the door.  
“Thank you.” She said sincerely. He nodded. She let go of his arm. “Oh, um... what was your name?”  
He stared at her for a moment then spoke. His words were soft and silvery and filled with a strange energy. “My name is of no importance. But what is important, right now, is that Katia is taken care of.” Heather blinked. He continued. “Go. Be with her when she wakes. She’s going to need it…”  
Heather stared as he walked away; his stride long and head high. She blinked and he was gone.  
She stood there in shock. Then she realized… It was his eyes that put her off. His eyes were an unnatural shade of deep emerald green.


End file.
